The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has promulgated regulations, contained in 14 C.F.R. §§ 25.856(a) and (b), requiring thermal and acoustical insulation blanket systems in commercial aircraft to provide improved burn through protection and flame propagation resistance. These conventional thermal and acoustical insulation systems typically include thermal and acoustical insulation blankets encapsulated within a film covering or bag. As the thermal and acoustical insulation systems are conventionally constructed, the burn through regulations primarily affect the contents of the insulation systems' bags and the flame propagation resistance regulations primarily affect the film coverings used to fabricate the bags. Conventional film coverings typically are used as a layer or covering, for example, laid over or laid behind layers of thermal and acoustical insulation material, or as a covering or bag for partially or totally encapsulating one or more layers of thermal and acoustical insulation material.
The materials utilized in existing fire barrier materials may have poor thermal conductivity, may absorb moisture, and may tend to be fragile during handling or in use where harsh mechanical environments are encountered.
In certain embodiments, a fire barrier layer comprising an inorganic pigment that can be incorporated into a subject fire barrier laminate used for protecting thermal and acoustical insulation structures is provided. In certain embodiments, the present fire barrier laminate has improved mechanical stability, increased thermal conductivity and decreased water absorption.